If this is your first time throwing a party involving alcohol, you may be wondering what sort of alcohol to purchase and how much of it you should get. On top of that, alcohol can be expensive, so you'll want to get a sufficient amount of drinks while staying within your budget. There are a few fundamental guidelines for purchasing alcohol for a party, and once you know them, you'll know how to buy alcohol for your party every time.

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Steps

1

Determine the size and type of party you'll be throwing. The larger the party you throw, the more alcohol you'll need to supply. However, different types of parties will require different amounts of alcohol. For example, a simple lunch party won't require as much alcohol as a cocktail party or a wedding reception.

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2

Make a guest list for the party. If it's not a formal, invite-only party, then estimate the number of people that you think will be showing up. This will help determine how many people will be drinking, which will help you figure out how much alcohol to purchase.

3

Decide how long the party will last. The longer your party is, the more alcohol you'll need to supply to your guests. A good rule of thumb for parties is to provide enough alcohol so that each guest has 2 drinks for the first hour of the party, followed by 1 drink for every additional hour of the party.

4

Select as wide a variety of alcoholic beverages as you can. If you know for sure that none of your guests will drink a beverage of a certain type, then you can skip purchasing it. Otherwise, try to offer a sufficient combination of beer, wine, and a wide selection of liquor. Make sure you provide mixers.

Calculate how much of each type of alcohol you'll need based on the number of guests and the expected duration of the party. If all you can do is estimate, then it's better to overestimate slightly than to run out of alcohol during your party.

Feel free to skew the ratio of beer, wine, and liquor depending on your audience and occasion. For a World Cup party, you might want to focus more on beer and liquor, whereas for a formal dinner, you might want to focus more on wine.

5

Purchase your alcohol from a local liquor store. Liquor stores should be heavily stocked on a number of different alcoholic drinks from wine to beer to hard liquor.

If your party is particularly large in size, it may be better for you to purchase from a wholesale distributor due to the larger bottles and cases and lower price points. Bring some friends or family members to help you carry the large load.

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When calculating how much alcohol to serve, use the following definition of "1 drink:" a single 12 oz. glass of beer at 4% alcohol, or a single 5 oz. glass of wine at 11% alcohol, or a single 1.5 oz. shot of hard liquor at 40% alcohol (80 proof).

Warnings

Be sure to have a lot of water available for your guests. Alcohol causes the body to dehydrate, which means that your guests will need to drink water to replenish lost fluids. You can serve other drinks in addition to water, but be sure to encourage your guests to drink more than only alcohol.

Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can result in sick guests. As host of a party with alcohol, you should always serve food alongside the alcohol so that the food can absorb the alcohol in the stomach, preventing sickness. Avoid serving foods that are heavy in starches, like potatoes; instead, serve foods that are neither snacks nor heavy meals, like chicken wings or bread.

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